Not even Calvin Oftana’s best game in a Philippines jersey was enough as Gilas fell just short and ultimately bowed to Bahrain, 89-85, in a tough start to its Asian Games title defense bid, Friday at the Aichi International Arena in Japan.
The seasoned wing fired 31 points in an apparent justification of his last-minute inclusion to the squad, but can only do so much as the horrendous stretch they got into during the middle quarters proved so costly for the reigning champs.
Coach Tim Cone’s men had already taken the 43-41 lead with 1:38 to go in the second quarter behind Justine Baltazar, but their counterparts from the Gulf responded with eight straight points to finish the half with a 49-43 advantage.
And the intermission hardly halted their rhythm, with Mosti Rashed and JaKarr Sampson continuing the onslaught to extend the lead to 64-48 with 5:31 left in the third, as the Bahrainis put together a 23-5 assault in total since trailing.
Still, the Filipino dribblers tried to fight back in the deciding frame and managed to cut the deficit to just four with 11.2 seconds left following a Don Trollano trifecta, but the time was no longer enough to steal the ball game.
Nonetheless, Gilas’ rally not only made the final result respectable but also gave them a fighting chance in the seedings as point differential is crucial for the playoffs of the men’s basketball wars, which will run until September 20.
Adrian Nocum backed up Oftana with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in a solid Team Pilipinas debut, but the Rain or Shine guard wasn’t able to finish the game after suffering an ankle injury with 1:51 left to play.
Nocum’s right ankle landed on the foot of opposing center Elijah Thomas after converting a finger-roll layup to trim the gap to 89-80. He had to be assisted by his teammates on the way to the bench but managed to walk it off not long after.
With that, it remains to be seen if he’d be healthy enough for their bout against Kazakhstan tomorrow, Saturday, September 12, at 6 p.m. Manila time.
Baltazar was the only other double-digit scorer for the Philippines with 10 points. Trollano, for his part, finished with nine points and eight rebounds in the loss.
Bahrain, on the other hand, was led by Sampson, who came up short of a triple-double as the former NBA vet tallied 24 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists.
Thomas and Rashed supplied 20 apiece as they helped the team earn some measure of payback for what happened in the 2023 Asian Games in China.
Both Bahrain and the Philippines opened their campaigns in Hangzhou against one another but that left a bitter taste in the mouth of the latter as they absorbed a harsh 89-61 beatdown to a side that eventually won the gold medal.
Team Bahrain will now turn its attention to the towering China tomorrow as well at 3 p.m. Manila time, taking on a unit that beat the Kazakhs earlier, 99-61.
The Scores:
Bahrain 89 – Sampson 24, Rashed M. 20, Thomas 20, Jaber 7, Buallay 5, Alderazi 5, Haji 3, Ilic 3, Juma 2.
Philippines 85 – Oftana 31, Nocum 14, Baltazar 10, Trollano 9, Arana 8, Ganuelas-Rosser 5, Lucero 4, Abarrientos 4, Barefield 0, Bolick 0, Ahanmisi 0, Bates 0.
Quarterscores: 29-21, 49-43, 76-61, 89-85.
